Absorbent devices for receiving and retaining bodily fluid are well known. They typically are designed with a top sheet made of a polymeric film having apertures or perforations therein, an absorbent core, and a bottom sheet or outer layer made of a liquid impervious material for retaining fluids. The top sheet is in contact with the body and the first to receive the bodily fluids which pass through the apertures into the absorbent core. The bottom sheet prevents the fluids in the core from leaking out of the absorbent devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,135 to Thompson discloses an absorbent product with a top sheet having tapered capillaries. Each capillary has a base in the plane of the sheet and an apex remote from the plane of the sheet. The apexes are in intimate contact with an absorbent core. U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,440 to Windlund et al. discloses a top sheet having apertures with straight ducts which are of uniform width along their entire length. The ends of the ducts that project away from the top sheet have fibers extending therein which connect the ducts to an absorbent core. The absorbent cores are typically made of a material having high capillary suction, such as fluff pulp. In order for these designs to transfer fluid effectively, the material with higher capillary suction must be in contact with the apexes of the capillaries or the ends of the ducts. This is typically accomplished by adhering the absorbent core to the backside of the top sheet. However, quite often undesirable separation of the sheet and absorbent core occurs which causes the product not to perform properly. The fluid travels to the bottoms of the capillaries and stops, excess fluid then builds up on the frontside of the top sheet and leakage occurs due to fluid run off, as shown in FIG. 1.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for an apertured or perforated sheet which has the unique ability to spontaneously invert fluids from the frontside of the sheet through to the backside of the sheet without the need of any absorbent core material being in contact with the backside of the sheet.